A Carillon alumnus reminisces about his time with the newspaper
The Carillon has been a student-run media outlet at the University of Regina (UofR) since 1962. Naturally, there have been many students that have held editor titles or other significant positions with the organisation. Many of these editors go on to work in high-ranking positions in communications, journalism, or similar professions. Examples could be Autumn McDowell who works for the communications department for the UofR, or Brady Lang works for Suncrest College and has a freelancing broadcasting business. Another such person is AccessNow Radio’s station manager, Neil Adams, who was the Carillon’s advertising director from 2011 to 2016.
A history of success and struggles
During his time at the paper Adams saw a lot of amazing successful moments for the paper, but he also saw the struggles of a non-profit group. In a conversation with the Carillon, he mentioned that when he stepped into the role of its advertising director, the Carillon was at risk of shutting down due to lack of funding. Student levy fees for the organisation at the time was $1.75. Adams therefore set out to create more avenues for generating funds for the paper. “So, my days were spent chasing money, chasing URSU to pay their bills, and collecting on unpaid bills from the previous administration,” he reflected.
At the time Adam’s position was critical in bridging the gap between URSU fundings and other revenue sources to keep the paper afloat. Adams managed to get a good amount of outward source advertising in the Carillon. The business manager at the time was able to get URSU to up the student fees from $1.75 to $6 which made life for the Carillon workers a lot more stable. That $4.25 raise got the paper proper equipment like office computers and new furniture and helped it get into the 21st century.
Students’ union was still the hot topic
Adams notes that the biggest stories they covered within campus were surrounding the University of Regina Students’ Unions (URSU). Just like 2025, URSU faced accusations of monetary fraud, election issues, and other inconsistencies with their leadership during his time.
One of Adams’ pitches, he mentioned, actually helped improve the stance of URSU with the student body. “That was part of my sales pitch right, work with us to increase student engagement with URSU. We can help you do this, and it will make for a better student life for everyone. And it ended up working. We did an election insert, so we ran a separate section in the back of the paper with just URSU election candidate info […] an URSU special that actually moved the needle in terms of engagement and voter turnout.”
Having a voice to hold administration and leadership, student leadership, academic leadership, and people accountable, sharing the cultural experience of the student from their own perspective, is the most important work that you do here, and it almost can’t fail.” – Neil Adams
An era to be proud off
Adams recalled one of the biggest struggles of working at the Carillon was the turnover. Unlike most print papers, the Carillon has a lot of management switch-ups because students graduate.
Every year Adams applied to a new editor-in-chief (EIC) and board. Even with all the changes with staffing, Adams still feels his era of the Carillon had a lot to be proud of. “I was really proud of moving the needle for culture and for student engagement. We had great art writing. We had great sports writing and carrying. We set up a lot of procedural kind of stuff to pave the path forward, because student organizations have turnover.”
Adams holds the Carillon in a special place in his heart. He says what he learned in his Carillon days translated to his current position at Access Communications. “I learned how non-profits work, and I still to this day, work in non-profits. I learned it was the most valuable networking experience in my whole life.”
An important role to play
The Carillon staff is a small group. This year we have just twelve employees. The group camaraderie is truly one of a kind. Adams also expresses this sentiment about his team. “I stay in touch with a lot of people from those years, and I look around at the other editors and the other people, the other staff of that era, and everyone’s thriving.”
When asked about why the Carillon is needed Adams said, “Its accountability to its readers is the big thing. Having a voice to hold administration and leadership, student leadership, academic leadership, and people accountable, sharing the cultural experience of the student from their own perspective, is the most important work that you do here, and it almost can’t fail.”
The Carillon has been in print for six decades and continues to serve the UofR campus community. We have adapted over the years to incorporate social media, videos, and digital prints of our stories. With all these resources we can reach every single one of the UofR’s students.
Adams encouraged students to engage more and said, “It makes you a better writer. It makes you a better thinker. It gets you more involved in the university life, the social aspects, the culture, and you get to meet people from diverse backgrounds.”
“The satisfaction of doing, of putting something out that helps students engage with life in and around the university is enough. It is enough of a motivator to do it, and it pays!” Interested in contributing to the Carillon? Check out our pitch lists and contact our section editors. Nothing makes them happier than hearing from you!
